COLUMBUS, Ohio - The No. 15 Ohio State women's volleyball team closed out the weekend with a 3-2 (23-25, 21-25, 27-25, 25-13, 15-12) loss to No. 10 Minnesota Sunday in St. John Arena. The Buckeyes dropped to 18-8 overall and 9-5 in the conference, while the Golden Gophers improved to 20-5 and 11-3.

Senior Mari Hole led all attackers and tied a career-high with 26 kills in the match. She added 11 digs for her 13th double-double of the season and also had five blocks (3s, 2a) on the day. Junior Kaitlyn Leary finished with 17 kills, while senior Emily Danks totaled 11.

Set one opened with the teams battling back and forth. A Gopher kill and block gave the visitors an 8-6 advantage before a three-point rally led to a 10-9 Buckeye lead. Back-to-back kills by Hole set the score 16-15 and kills by Danks and Andrea Kacsits forced a Minnesota timeout at 19-17. The Gophers came back within a point at 23-22, but a Booth/ Erin Sekinger block gave Ohio State set point and a kill by Hole sealed the win, 25-23.

Kills by Hole and Danks pushed the Buckeyes to a 9-6 advantage in the second set and a kill by Hole triggered a 4-0 run for a 13-7 lead. Another four-point run set the score 17-8 in favor of Ohio State, but Minnesota fought back with a 4-0 run of its own to close the gap, 18-13. A late Gopher run forced a Buckeye timeout at 22-20, but kills by Leary and Hole led to a 25-21 set win.

Minnesota came out of the intermission with a 9-3 lead in the third set. Kills by Booth and Peterson and a Booth/Peterson block cut the lead to three at 9-6, but the Gophers held on to its slim advantage through the middle of the set. Back-to-back kills by Hole cut the Minnesota lead to one at 20-19 and a 3-0 rally locked the set at 22 apiece. Ohio State was able to stop two Gopher set points before two-straight kills by Harms gave Minnesota a 27-25 win.

The two squads battled back and forth to open the fourth until a three-point Buckeye run gave Ohio State a 10-8 lead. The Gophers rebounded with an 8-0 run for a 16-10 advantage and followed with a 6-0 run for a 22-12 lead. A kill by Katie Mitchell and Hole set the score 22-13, but the Gophers finished with a 25-13 win to force a fifth set.

A kill and solo block by Hole gave the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead in the final stanza before a 4-1 rally pushed Minnesota ahead, 5-3. A three-point rally set the score 9-5 in favor of the Gophers to cause a Buckeye timeout. A kill and solo block by Hole along with a Julianne Mandolfo service ace brought Ohio State within a point a 10-9 and a Anna Faul /Hole block set the score 13-12 in favor of Minnesota. The Gophers, however, closed out the match with back-to-back kills for the win.

The Buckeyes continue their homestand this upcoming week, hosting Northwestern and Illinois. Ohio State and the Wildcats are set to play Wednesday, Nov. 7, at 8 p.m. ET on BTN in St. John Arena. The team's match vs. Illinois is Saturday, Nov. 17, at 7 p.m. ET in St. John Arena. For ticket information, visit OhioStateBuckeyes.com.